Mónsul Beach

What it is

A grey-sand beach between two arms of volcanic rock, with a large dune at the back and the famous Peineta rock at the water's edge. It is the best-known image of the park and one of the most crowded in August. The sea floor drops away faster than at Genoveses and, at the sides, the rocks are good for watching fish with a mask.

The Indiana Jones beach

One of the best-known scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, by Steven Spielberg, with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, was filmed at Mónsul. The dune, the dark lava flows and the Peineta are unchanged, so it is easy to recognise. There is nothing signposted and no memorial to the filming on the sand: Almería's film history is told in the display cases of Casa Miguel, in San José. The NeverEnding Story and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen were also shot on the same beach.

How to get there

From the San José ring road the dirt track leaves towards Genoveses; you continue to the Casa del Mónsul, about 4.5 km. There is a car park of about 50 spaces and the Vela Blanca trail starts. In summer car access is regulated by the Junta and there is a bus from San José; the rest of the year you drive in with your own car.

When to go

In spring and autumn you have it almost to yourself. In summer, arrive before ten or go late in the afternoon, when the sun sets behind the dune.